Logan 860 Platinum Edge 60 Inch Mat Cutter For Professional Framing and Matting

It is definitely a mat cutter for those with experience. It provides smooth cutting and handling. Got to read the instructions before attempting any final cuts. Setting it up correctly, in terms of blade depths, will get the desired results. I will never go back to using my old Logan Simplex Elite Mat Cutter.

I've been using the Logan Graphics Platinum Ed 60" mat cutter for 21 years now. I have a *lot* of experience with it. When I bought it the cutter was made by American Design and Engineering in Minneapolis and was known then as the Phaedra Chronomat. Phaedra was bought by Logan a few years ago. The current cutter is virtually identical to what I've been using since 2004 except for the color...and the price. Logan lowered the price by about a third when they put their name on it. Nothing else has changed. What attracted me to this cutter as opposed to its competitor, the Fletcher, is its superb construction and machining. What a gem. They function much the same, though, and I use Fletcher blades. I'm left-handed and had suffered for years with trying to operate other mat cutters, most of which are really designed to be used by right-handed people. The beveled and straight-edge cutting heads both travel on a monorail so cuts are precise no matter which hand I use but I use my right since the monorail guides the blade with great assurance and comfort, no matter which hand I use. The starting point is magnetically set and the end of each cut is stopped by a bumper. This means there's no need to draw a line to guide each cut; you just set the start and stop points on the magnetic start and bumper stop. This greatly speeds up the mat cutting process. I'm no fan of the arm used to guide the straight cuts of the outer edges of the boards. None of these arms can be precisely aligned enough to assure that all edges will be squared relative to each other so I measure manually and line my measuring marks up with the straight edge blade and virtually never use the arm. I've even aligned the arm using a laser but *none* of these arms, Logan or Fletcher, are really precise enough for a cut down to 1/16th of an inch, which they should be. The problem is further compounded by the mat boards, themselves, being cut unevenly by the manufacturers. Thus manual measurement can be done very easily, even with a 60 inch board, right on the cutter's surface when the blade rail is fully raised. This cutter is big, 72 inches, and weighs about 50 lbs. I stand it upright, leaning against a wall when I'm not using it and have been doing this since day 1, 8 years ago. The manufacturer told me at that time there would be no problem standing the unit on end because of its rugged construction. He was right. One person can easily move it around from cutting table to storage by holding it vertically. It also doesn't need a full 6 foot table to operate. a 4 foot table works just fine with the robust cutter extending a foot beyond each end of the table. The cutter won't flex; it's solid, and the cuts are just as accurate. Of course if you have a six foot table to place it it does give you a bit more work space on the straight cut side of the cutter. My wife and I have cut thousands of mats with the Logan Graphics Platinum Edge 60 inch mat cutter and we both agree, because of its ease of use and precision, it was worth every penny which, back then, considering inflation, is about twice what Logan is currently asking for it. This cutter does its job as superbly as it is built. Despite years of heavy use it has no visible signs of wear. I highly recommend it. This review was edited and updated in 2025.

Machine was completely out of alignment as soon as it came out of the box. The cutting head was not parallel to the cutting direction and this caused the bevel blade to grind into the carrier and the straight blade to cut into the base board. The bearings also sounded terrible; groaning and rumbling when the head was moved. Company says its good for 8 ply but takes about 4 to 6 passes to cut museum grade cotton board and then creates lots of slivers and hairs. Probably due to sloppy head. Also took ages to adjust the blade depth and stops to fine tune 8 ply so that it wouldnt under/overcut windows. The carrier iself had a buldge in the middle so that it wouldnt cut through in the middle of 60 inch sheets. In summary then, complete rubbish such that I demanded a replacement which Logan is honouring as I write this. I just hope the replacement is the quality and reliability I expect considering the high cost.

The entire Platinum Series mat cutters, 850, 855, and 860 are all identical except for the length of the cutter. These are professional grade. Most of the other mat cutters Logan puts out are not true professional grade cutters. That isn't to say that you cannot cut perfect mats with the other models... just that this one will outlast the others. This mat cutter is made with an aluminum base. The others are ALL MDF.... essentially extremely hard thick sawdust! I have the 850 or 40" model. You WILL need to check alignment of both the squaring arm and the mat guide when you first put it together. It might be okay... just make sure! The alignment procedure for the squaring arm is shown in the company video, but NOT the procedure for alignment of the mat guide. It's explained in the manual though. Be careful HOW you move the magnetic production stop to the top end of the mat cutter. do not move it off the ruler guide attached to the cutting head! If you do, you will be pulling out your hair swearing death to the magnetic production stop God asking why a little 1" piece of chromed metal about 1/4 of an inch across fell from the sky and landed on top of the base next to the production stop! Ahem! Why do I say this... because it happened to ME! A quick e-mail to Logan Customer Support resulted in my seeing the error of my ways! When you unpack your mat cutter, check out the cutting head and especially the movable magnetic stop/production stop very carefully just to get an idea as to how it was put together. It will save you a headache in case that one part falls from the sky again! It fits between the movable magnetic stop and the ruler guide attached to the cutting head. Anyway. it is an excellent tool for making quick work of producing mats and is built for the long haul! Another thing... when installing the two 267 blades in the cutting head, install the blades to where the back of the blade is lined up with the scribe lines etched into the inside of the blade magazine. You might need to fine tune the cutting depth. but it won't be by much, if at all!

This machine does it all! I have one and it has made cutting mat board quick and easy. Great to create your own pictures and even better if you are starting your own business. This is a MUST HAVE. Cleanly cuts the windows and if you add the V-Groove it provides a perfect finish. The stops make it easy so that you remove the guess work of where to start and stop so you don't have the over and under cuts.